"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our
community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.
This week: Agnes of Betty Turbo
Who are you?
I'm Agnes, also known as
Betty Turbo, a nerdy, tattooed wrestling fan
and dessert expert, trying to bring you as much goofiness as possible
from my very tiny (but chock full of radness) hot pink studio in
Corvallis.
What do you make?
I make drawings and deliver them to you as art prints, greeting cards,
plush toys, tea towels, and limited edition wearable items.
Besides making things, what do you do?
Sorry, what? I'm supposed to do something else?! In all truth, "making
stuff" is pretty much my entire life. I stop for a popsicle or a dance
party from time to time, but making art and being crafty is what I love
and spend most hours of the day on. I do love cooking and baking,
riding my bike everywhere (yay Oregon!), and running. But running for
hours and hours is really my mental time-out to plan out art projects in
my head, so I think it's all ultimately part of my creative process.
What inspires you?
ICE CREAM. Dessert. Okay, food in general. Wrestling, muscles, geeky
tv shows, outer space, wild animals, words and typography. I am never
short on inspiration. I want to squeeze all the juicy bits out of every
day.
Where can your work be found?
In Portland, my work can be found at Powell's, Tender Loving Empire,
Mag-BIg, Icon Tattoo, and ZimZim. I also sell at about a dozen other
shops across the country. My Etsy shop is always the biggest selection
of my current work, but I also show in galleries, and enjoy debuting new
products in person at craft shows like Portland's super fabulous Crafty
Wonderland sales.
What do you love about Portland?
FOOD TRUCKS. Crepes in the middle of the night. Portland is such a
jackpot for vegetarian food, too! Prior to moving to Oregon, I had been
living in Tennessee for several years, where most vegetables were
either deep fried or cooked to mush with a ham hock. I am constantly in
awe of Portland's food offerings. I like that it is big enough to have
lots going on, but still small enough that you can easily connect with
other art weirdos and find the funky places where you fit just right.
SO many awesome artists and creators, and a great support community of
art fans and people who are eager to support creativity and small
businesses. Also, how rad is Powell's? I would like to build a tiny
fort in the stacks and live there forever.
